


The Story of Remus and Tonks

by ArrowsandStars



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Developing Relationship, Domestic, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Grimmauld Place, Hurt/Comfort, Lil angsty, Mooney - Freeform, Multi Chapter, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Padfoot - Freeform, Romance, SO MUCH FLUFF, Slow Build, relationship beginning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2018-10-09 08:22:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10407942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArrowsandStars/pseuds/ArrowsandStars
Summary: The sappy, slow build love story Remus and Tonks deserve.This is going to be a longer story, and I'll try to update regularly, but no promises!





	1. Grimmauld

Remus Lupin, by anyone’s standards, had lived a hard life. It seemed that anytime he got some sort of good luck or good fortune, it all came crumbling down around his ears, one way or another. Which was why, on the night of the first meeting of the re-vamped Order of The Phoenix, Remus found himself feeling a nauseating mix of excitement and terror.  
He would once again be surrounded with people who were like a second family to him, but this time, would they all be as lucky as the first? The original Order of The Phoenix had some close calls, but was never fully detected by Death Eaters. Would their luck hold out? Remus sighed and checked his watch. It was time. He grabbed his suitcase, closed his eyes, and filled his mind with images and sounds of a place he’d sworn never to return to.  
12 Grimmauld Place had not changed even a small bit from his last memory of it. The dreary, dark house still loomed over the street, barely lit by the single street lamp that shone onto it.  
Remus knocked on the ancient wooden door, and immediately, Molly Weasley threw the door open and exclaimed, “Oh Remus! Come in dear, there’s food in the kitchen, not everyone is here yet though, so you get first go at all of it. You're entirely too thin. When was the last time you had a hot meal?” Molly said all of it in one breath, while bustling him through the corridors to the kitchen.  
Remus caught glimpses of strange things in the process of being removed or taken down, and a painting on the wall was screaming insults and curses at whoever was nearest. He winced at it, he would recognize the voice of Sirius’s mother anywhere. At last, the small whirlwind that was Molly whisked him into the kitchen and had him seated with a hot bowl of stew in front of him before he could even ask her how she was. Remus smiled. Molly left no room for anyone to be melancholy. His stomach rumbled, and he took a large bite of stew, which of course was excellent. He told Molly so around a mouthful, and she made sure his bowl was never empty for long.  
Three large bowls of stew and a cup of tea later, Remus got the tour of Grimmauld Place. There were dozens of rooms that weren’t safe to go inside, and several that Remus suspected were filled to the brim with curses, hexes, and nasty magical pests. He could help with that, that was why he had offered to stay at Grimmauld Place with Sirius and the Weasleys, to de-curse the mansion and make it the main meeting place for the Order. Molly showed him to the room he’d be staying in, it was still dusty, but they had cleaned out all of the magical creatures and curses from it. It would be almost cozy after a good cleaning.  
When they returned downstairs, a familiar figure in dark clothes sat at the table. Remus felt himself grin. “Padfoot!” He called. “Isn’t it usually nice to greet people when they come to your house?”  
Sirius jumped so hard, his knee hit the underside of the table with a loud thump, and he choked on his bite of food. He cursed vehemently, and Molly rolled her eyes.  
“Maybe you can do something with him.” she told Remus quietly. “He’s been insufferable since we came here.”  
Remus glanced his friend. “Considering what he’s been through here Molly, are you really surprised?”  
Molly pursed her lips and gazed concernedly in Sirius’s direction. “I hadn’t thought of that.” she said.  
Remus shrugged and went to sit down beside him. Sirius had finished choking and was back to shoveling food into his mouth.  
Remus smiled. “Just like old times.” he said.  
Molly slid a glass with a bit of fire whiskey in it towards Sirius, obviously a peace offering, and after Remus’s imploring look, did the same for him. Other people slowly started trickling in, almost all of them he recognized from the original Order, but there were a few younger, brighter faces.  
Sirius sat quietly beside Remus, nursing his firewhiskey. “Lily would say you need a haircut.” Sirius said bluntly, after a moment’s pause.  
Remus sniffed loudly, and said, “And she’d tell you you need a shower.”  
Sirius snorted, and burst out laughing. Remus followed, and the ice was broken.  
“James would be appalled we’ve got so much grey hair.” Remus said.  
“Speak for yourself.” Sirius replied loftily, with a flip of his over-long hair, “It adds character to my otherwize stunning demeanor.”  
By the time the Order was assembled, Remus and Sirius were roaring with laughter by the fireplace, and the mood in the room was cheery. A person near the back asked if everyone was here, and Molly looked around, her lips pursed and her hands on her hips.  
“Not quite,” she said, “We’re waiting for one more.”  
“Oh no.” said someone from the back, “Molly, tell me you didn’t invite that clutzy-”  
“That is absolutely enough.” Alastor Moody silenced the grumbler with a hard look through his false eye. “That ‘clutz’ is a brilliant Auror, and a powerful young witch. I do recall you failed your Auror exams, didn’t you?”  
Before the wizard could answer Moody, a young witch apparated into the room with a POP! and with a muffled yell, fell straight into Remus’s lap. Remus was too stunned to do anything for a moment, but then recovered himself and helped the young woman up. She was blushing furiously, and apologizing profusely to him. After a moment of talking over one another, Remus convinced her he was fine, assuring her she’d done no harm, and pulled her up a chair beside him.  
Molly clapped her hands together once, and everyone’s conversations stopped. Everyone seated themselves around the table, and the meeting began. Remus should have been paying attention, but his attention was drawn to the girl. She had short, vividly pink hair, and elfish features, a cute button nose, with upturned, smiling eyes and a mischievous grin. She tapped her hands on the table, then on her knees, then on the sides of her chair, as she listened intently to the conversation at hand. Her hair stuck out at odd angles, like she ran her hands through it when she get excited, and none of her earrings matched.  
She glanced over at him, and their eyes met. She had honey brown eyes that positively sparkled at him, and full, smiling lips. She blushed so hard her hair got a darker shade of pink, and Remus looked away abruptly, sure he was blushing as well. He was hyper aware of how close they were, not even a foot separated them from each other on the overcrowded bench. He resisted the urge to look back over at her, and tuned in to the meeting. A new member was giving a report of known Death Eaters in the ministry, and asking what everyone thought should be done.  
Remus glanced back over at the girl again, and she turned away abruptly, like she’d been caught staring at him. The tips of her ears were red. She shifted nervously in her seat, like she was resisting the urge to look at him again. Remus looked away, and this time, he was determined to listen to the meeting.  
It wound to a close some time later, and most of the wizards and witches apparated or floo-powdered back to their own homes, several stayed to chat. Remus noticed the girl talking animatedly to Alastor Moody, waving her hands and gesticulating wildly. Remus found himself smiling.  
Sirius cleared his throat pointedly. “Staring, in my experience, is not the best flirting technique.” he said, leaning against the table, a smug look on his face.  
Remus turned to his old friend, and tried his best to be nonchalant. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” he said, a bit defensively.  
Sirius snorted into his glass, and muttered “Suit yourself.” before walking over to Dumbledore and starting a conversation.  
He turned back around just in time to catch the strange girl, again. She tripped over a chair leg, and went sprawling into Remus.  
“Sorry, sorry.” she said, collecting herself. “Second time today I’ve wrecked into a perfect stranger.” she looked up at him, smiling, and Remus found himself smiling back.  
He became aware that she was still very close to him, and he still had his hands on her shoulders from where he caught her. He released her, and stepped back, clearing his throat awkwardly, and ran his hands nervously through his hair. She watched him do it, her big, lively brown eyes following the movement, and the front of her hair swirled the same mouse-brown as Remus’s hair.  
She clapped a hand over the top of her head, and said, “Sorry, it does that sometimes, if it decides, or rather, if I like someone’s hair. That’s the trouble with being a metamorphmagus. That is to say- I um- what was I saying? Oh right. I’m Tonks.” she said all of it as one tumbling sentence, and thrust her hand out for Remus to shake.  
Remus blinked, and shook her hand. “I’m Remus,” he said. “It’s very nice to meet you.”  
She smiled up at him, and said, “It’s very nice to meet you, too.” her hair swirled to fully brown, then shocked back to a stunningly bright shade of pink. Remus realized he was still holding her hand, and that Tonks wasn’t pulling away. He took his hand back, and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his robes, but couldn’t resist smiling down at her, just to see her smile again. She did, and Remus could have stood there all night, beaming down at her like an absolute loon, but Molly bustled over.  
“Are you staying the night, Nymphadora dear?” asked Molly.  
“Molly! Call me Tonks! The fewer people know I have such a ghastly first name the better! And yes, I would very much like to stay the night, it’s late, and I’m going to help you all clean this place in the morning.”  
Molly rolled her eyes. “Tonks, Nymphadora is a perfectly lovely name, and I’ll show you to a room we’ve got cleaned out, don’t go anywhere with a closed door, it means we haven’t cleaned it out yet. Remus, if you’ll excuse us, I’m going to get Tonks here settled in.”  
Tonks smiled at Remus one last time, and then followed Molly out of the kitchen, Molly talking eagerly about the house and what they’d found in it. A glass of firewhiskey was slid into his hand, and Sirius was beside him again, smug as ever.  
“She’s cute, I’ll give you that.” Sirius said.  
“Once again, Sirius, I have absolutely no clue what you’re talking about.” Remus drank the rest of his firewhiskey in one gulp, and said, “It’s late, I’m going to bed.”  
He trudged upstairs by the light of his wand, careful to creep by the painting of Sirius’s mother, who had finally stopped wailing and cursing at everyone. Once he reached his bedroom, he shrugged off his threadbare blue robes, resigned himself to unpack completely tomorrow, and curled into bed.


	2. Boggarts and Glitter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the cleaning of Grimmauld Place begins!

Remus was startled awake the next morning by a muffled thump followed by cursing from the cursed portrait of Sirius’s mother. With a groan, he turned over and pushed his pillow over his head. Someone had to disenchant that painting soon. Several minutes later, wailing hadn’t stopped, so there was no way Remus would be able to go back to sleep. He pulled back the covers, and stumbled into sweatpants and a sweater before trudging downstairs into the kitchen to scrounge for breakfast.   
He found Sirius already at the table, looking rumpled and tired. The man took out a flask and added a generous helping of firewhiskey to the mug of coffee in front of him. Remus frowned. It couldn’t be later than 7:30. With a wave of his wand, the fire whiskey jumped out of Sirius’s mug and into the sink. Sirius turned around with a positively murderous look. Remus just raised an eyebrow and poured himself a cup of coffee, and added a bit of milk before sitting next to his friend.   
“In my experience, firewhiskey is best after lunch.” Remus said, taking a sip of his coffee.   
“Thanks ever so much, Mother Mooney.” Sirius spat at him, and grudgingly took a sip of his alcohol-free drink.  
Remus took another sip, and looked at his friend. Sirius had dark shadows under bloodshot eyes, and the fine lines around his eyes had deepened.   
“How are you, Sirius?” Asked Remus. “I know this must be a misery for you, staying here.”  
Sirius’s shoulders slumped, and he looked into his mug unhappily.   
“It’s been better now that people are here, and the cleaning out helps, but it’s miserable. I swore I’d never come back here, and now I can’t leave. The only thing I can do is clean.”  
Remus pursed his lips together and nodded. The two sat quietly together, waking up. It reminded Remus of mornings back in the Gryffindor common room. None of them had been morning people, mornings were the only time they were quiet around each other. Remus smiled, and finished his coffee. He sent both his and Sirius’s mug over to the coffee machine for a refill, and Sirius nodded his thanks.  
“I hate mornings.” Sirius said. “I’d sleep through them if Molly would let me. I think she sets that portrait off on purpose sometimes. It’s right under my room.”  
“What would I do on purpose?” Molly Weasley asked, breezing into the kitchen, fully awake and chipper, followed by the pink haired girl from the meeting, Tonks, who was clearly not happy about being up this early.  
Her short hair was sticking up in every direction, and she was wearing an overlarge shirt, mismatched socks, and pajama bottoms that were probably three sizes too big for her small frame. Even the pink color of her hair seemed duller.   
Tonks nodded in their direction in lieu of a ‘good morning’ and made a bee-line for the coffee maker. She dug the biggest mug she could find out of the cupboard and added liberal amounts of cream and sugar to it before she plopped down on the bench beside Remus with a sigh.  
Molly bustled around, sending ingredients for breakfast swirling through the air, humming a disgustingly bright song. Remus watched Tonks take a sip of her coffee, her hair turned a brighter shade of pink with every sip she took. He couldn’t help but laugh quietly, and she looked over at him quizzically. He gestured to her hair, and she looked up and noticed it’s brighter shade. She grinned, and took another sip of coffee. It turned electric pink, then settled back to it’s normal shade. She raised an eyebrow at him over her mug, and Remus raised his eyebrow in return, before taking a sip out of his own mug.   
Soon, Molly had made enough breakfast to feed a small army, seen Arthur off to work, and sent the dishes to wash themselves in the sink. She sat down opposite of all of them, and they all dug in. After a few mouthfuls, Molly said, “So, after we’ve all had showers and gotten dressed properly, I was thinking we could tackle the second drawing room. It’s got a nasty boggart in it, and all those cabinets of horrid looking relics that are no doubt riddled with curses.”   
Remus nodded, but Tonks groaned dramatically, and would have face planted her scrambled eggs if Remus hadn’t snatched them out of her way at the last moment.   
“I hate boggarts.” Tonks said. “There’s been an outbreak of them at the auror’s office, and it feels like all the cases I get are boggarts pretending to be some long-dead Death Eater or a dementor of some kind.”   
“Fine then, Tonks, you can help me in the garden, there’s plenty of things to do outside as well.” Molly said.  
“I’ll take the boggart.” Tonks said decidedly. “I hate yardwork way more than boggarts.”  
Remus sat her plate back down in front of her, and grinned to himself.   
“Alright. Remus. You can help me in the garden then, I could use your herbal knowledge to figure out what's safe to have and what isn’t.”  
Remus’s grin disappeared, and he sat up straight on the bench and cleared his throat. “I’d love to, Molly, but I think I’m better suited to disposing of the boggart, being the ex-defense against the dark arts teacher and what not.”  
Molly narrowed her eyes suspiciously over the top of her mug. “Very well then.” She said slowly, turning to the man at the end of the table. “Sirius. You can help me outside.”   
“Wouldn’t dream of refusing, Molly.” Sirius said with an uncharacteristically cheery smile. Underneath the table, he gave Remus’s shin a solid kick, which came at an inopportune time for Remus, as he had just raised his cup to his lips. He jumped, and sloshed hot coffee all down the front of his sweater. He barked out a curse, and Sirius and Tonks started laughing at the same moment Molly exclaimed “Remus!”   
After breakfast, Molly offered to show Remus where a shower that wasn’t cursed with horrible things could be found. When Molly turned around, he smirked over at Tonks, who raised an eyebrow back at him. He nodded his head conspicuously over at Sirius, and rose from his seat with a lengthy sigh. Tonks grinned up at him, and waited for the show to begin. Remus casually walked behind Sirius, who was suspiciously taking a sip of coffee, clasped his shoulder abruptly, and fake-whispered in his ear, “Worth it.”   
Sirius jumped, as could be expected, dropped his mug full of coffee into his lap, and yelled, “Oh you bloody bastard!” While trying to stumble off of the bench. Tonks snorted loudly trying not to laugh, failed, and the sounds of Tonk’s laughter carried a grinning Remus into the hallway, where Molly was waiting, looking at him suspiciously.   
“What was that about, Remus?” Molly asked.  
“Oh it was nothing, Molly.” Remus said as innocently as possible. The effect was somewhat ruined when a fresh wave of Tonk’s giggling followed his answer. Molly rolled her eyes, and led him upstairs so show him where a shower could be found.   
Around thirty minutes later, Remus and Tonks stood in the drawing room, showered and dressed in robes rather than pajamas. Tonk’s hair was still damp, and surprisingly orderly. Remus discovered she ran her fingers through it when she got excited, leading to its swirly sort of messiness. His hands stuffed in the pockets of his robes, he surveyed the dusty room. The dark wood furniture and curtains made the room feel dark and dreary, and there were cobwebs and a thick layer of dust over everything. Tonks crossed the room and pulled the curtains back. Something hissed at her and scuttled back into the wall, and morning sunlight streamed into the room. Dust motes swirled in the sun beams, and Remus squinted at the sudden change of brightness.   
Tonks returned to his side and pointed to a rickety old fold out desk in the corner. “I think that’s where the boggart is.” Tonks said. “It would make a good hiding place.”   
“I was thinking the same thing” Remus replied, “Shall we?”  
Tonks smiled, fake curtsied and pulled out her wand. An eloquent kick sent the old desk flying onto it’s side, the drawer flying open with a screech.   
A misty full moon faced Remus, and he calmly called, “Riddikulus!”   
The moon grew a party hat, and turned to Tonks. The moon swirled into a wall of flame, and roared towards her.   
With a practiced flick of her wand, she called the spell, and the wall of flame turned a rainbow of colors before turning back to Remus. Now it was really upset. It showed Remus Harry sprawled on the floor, blood soaking the wood, then Sirius, and eventually James. Each time, Remus called the spell. The boggart was flicking forms even faster now, it was scared. It stopped turning to each of them, and transformed into random dead family members to confuse them. They worked seamlessly, one jumping in just after the other, not knocking into one another, or shouting the spells simultaneously. Suddenly, with a scream that made Remus’s ears ring, the boggart exploded in a shower of rainbow glitter, coating everything in a five foot radius in an inch of the sparkling powder.   
Remus spat out glitter and sat down on the floor, breathing heavily. Tonks sat down beside him, and shook glitter out of her hair.   
“That one just had to be spiteful about it’s demise.” She said, gesturing to the glitter coated circle. “We’ll never get all of it out of the carpets.”  
“Blast the carpets,” Remus said, chuckling, “I’ll be coughing up boggart glitter when I’m fifty.”   
Tonks laughed, and fell backwards onto her back, sending up a plume of glitter, and started making a glitter angel. Remus raised an eyebrow at her, and she stuck it her tongue in reply, before flipping a handful of glitter at him. Sputtering, Remus said, “Oh, it is on!” And grabbed a handful of glitter and sent it flying onto the front of Tonk’s robes. After the stress and relative terror of fighting the boggart, both of them were glad to laugh a bit.   
In less than five minutes they were both absolutely coated with glitter. Remus was winded from chasing Tonks around the room, and Tonks was nearly crying with laughter.   
Remus almost had her. He had two enormous handfuls of glitter, and had every intention of dumping them all over Tonks’ head, when she stopped abruptly. Remus, who was running at full tilt after her, slammed into her back, sending them both laughing uncontrollably onto the floor in a mushroom cloud of glitter. Someone cleared their throat sternly from the doorway, and Remus and Tonks both looked up at the same time, noticing Sirius in the doorway, his arms crossed, and a look of fake displeasure on his face.   
“Am I interrupting something?” He said with a sarcastic drawl.   
Before either of the guilty party could answer, Molly’s voice sounded from the hallway, “Sirius, have they taken care of the boggart yet- OH GOOD HEAVENS!”  
Molly stood in the doorway, awestruck, surveying the glitter coated room and two wizards.   
“We seem to have interrupted a rather intense... glitter fight, Molly.” Sirius said calmly.   
Molly sighed, waved her wand, and the all of the glitter swirled into a cyclone, shrank to a ball, and disappeared with a loud pop, leaving Remus and Tonks winded and giggling on the floor, glitter free. Remus stood up, and offered Tonks his hand up, and pulled her to her feet. She was grinning from ear to ear, and Remus was smiling softly at her. Sirius cleared his throat rather pointedly again, and Remus turned red and dropped her hand. Molly raised an eyebrow, and gestured for them to all follow her into the kitchen for cold drinks.  
“You know, it never even occurred to me to use magic to clean up that mess,” Tonks said quietly to Remus in the hallway, still giggling a bit breathlessly.  
Remus grinned, and fake coughed into his hand, and held it out to Tonks. His palm was coated in a small amount of glitter. She burst out laughing, and Remus followed suit.   
Molly muttered to Sirius, “They’re getting on well, don’t you think?”   
Sirius glanced back over his shoulder at the two of them giggling like second years, and smirked. “Rather well, I’d say.” He muttered back. “I haven’t seen Remus laugh that much since we were in school.”  
Molly smiled. “I think I’ll find reasons for them to work together more often.”  
“Matchmaker.” Sirius accused, before entering the kitchen.  
After a few glasses of water, they all returned to their respective projects. Tonks looked over the dusty room. “I think I liked it better coated in glitter.” She said. Remus agreed. Now that they had the immediate threat of the boggart out of the way, he had no idea what to do now. There were cabinets filled to the brim with magical objects, no doubt cursed, all over the room. Even with the sunlight through the open windows, it still felt dreary in the room. Remus walked over, and discovered the windows could be opened. He pushed all of them as far open as they would go, and summer breeze swept through the room, stirring the dust and cobwebs.   
“Where do you want to start?” He asked Tonks.  
Tonks looked around the room. Then clapped a hand over her eyes and spun around several times, her hand outstretched, and her robes swirling around her. She stopped suddenly, her hand was pointing to a rather derelict looking glass cabinet near the windows. She peeped at it through her fingers, and then looked over her shoulder at Remus.   
“This one.” She said, and walked over to it. Remus followed her, smiling quietly.   
The glass cabinet held several horrifying looking pickled things, a few menacing looking vials, and other unpleasant shrunken bits right along side odd bits of priceless looking jewelry and gold. A glint near the bottom of the cabinet drew Remus’s eye, and what he saw made his blood turn to ice. A ceremonial looking, long bladed silver dagger with a ruby encrusted hilt sat on the bottom shelf. It had been painstakingly etched with whorls and intricate designs, and although it was tarnished and dusty, it had to be worth thousands of galleons. Tonks followed his gaze, and her eyes widened when she saw the dagger.   
“Good god, it that a werewolf killing knife? How absolutely barbaric.” She said angrily.   
Remus, shocked, looked over at her. She mistook his gaze for scorn and rolled her eyes. “Oh don’t tell me. You're one of the idiots that thinks all werewolves should be eradicated, and blatantly ignores the fact that they are people save for one or two nights of the month.” She ranted, glaring over at him.  
Remus stammered, “No, no, not at all. I was just surprised. There are so few people with favorable opinions of werewolves, I was taken aback.” She obviously didn’t know about him. He sent a silent thank you to Molly, and smiled at Tonks.  
Tonks seemed to relax, and smiled at him. “I’m glad you’re on my side.” She said.   
“Well, with that look you were giving me, I am too.” Remus replied.   
Tonks blushed, and turned back to the cabinet. “Let’s get started. The sooner we get that disgusting relic out of here, the happier I will be.”  
Remus couldn’t have agreed more, and they set to work. It was gross, tedious, and often times smelly work. Once, when Tonks picked up a jar of pickled something or other, it shattered, sending them both to the window retching horribly. When they returned to the cabinet, both of them feeling slightly green and Tonks looking it, Remus was grateful for the cool breeze that swept through the room occasionally. Tonks took a deep breath and dug back in. They worked their way through two cabinets quickly, both of them careful not to break anything else.   
Slowly, the cabinets emptied, and the cobwebs in corners were whisked away by haphazard cleaning charms. By lunchtime, they had cleaned out most of the more grievously cursed or cluttered cabinets. They heard the front door slam, and Molly bustled past the drawing room, a sweaty Sirius following behind. Remus and Tonks looked at one another, and Tonks canted her head at the door.   
“Lunch?” she asked.   
“Lunch.” Remus replied, and made haste towards the kitchen.  
After lunch, the day passed surprisingly quickly, the boring, tedious work of cleaning out the cluttered and cursed room made interesting by Tonks, who always had a retort for Remus’s sarcasm, or a story to tell when this or that reminded her of ‘one time at the Ministry…’   
Remus liked her. She was a bright young witch, and talented, in spite of her clumsiness. By the time Arthur arrived home from work, the cabinets were empty of their disgusting curios, and the dust and dirt from decades of neglect had been spelled away. The room as a whole was rather cosy. Remus watched the setting sun from the window seat, and Tonks handed him a glass of water, which he accepted gratefully.   
“Molly nearly has dinner ready.” She said, taking a sip of her own glass of water.   
“That woman could feed an army and still not think she made enough for everyone.” Remus joked over the brim of his glass.  
Tonks giggled. “Not that I’m complaining though. Ever since I moved out on my own I’ve discovered that cooking is not my strong suit. My budget can’t take much more take out.”  
“I was getting rather tired of stovetop macaroni and cheese myself.” Remus said.  
“Ugh! If I never see another box of that stuff again it will be too soon. That’s all I ate for the first month I lived in my flat.”  
Remus chuckled. “When I first moved out, James and Lily were the only people standing between me and a diet of exclusively Ramen noodles.”  
...  
The rest of the evening saw the comings and goings of several Order members, but other than brief meetings the evening was spent chatting around the large kitchen table. Despite his hatred of Grimmauld Place, Remus found himself having fun reconnecting with Sirius and Molly, and Tonks was a welcome addition to his small circle of friends.


	3. Where Theres Smoke...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens, and Remus finds himself comforting Tonks.

Days cleaning Grimmauld place of it’s magical pests and thousands of curses and hexes went much the same as the first one, with Order members popping in to help clean and take away the nastiest cursed objects regularly. They had cleared out most of the main rooms and a whole hall of bedrooms by the end of the week. Tonks was the most frequent visitor, and Remus’s favorite. Her cheery disposition and humor made the at times grueling work pass quickly.  
After that first night, no matter how late into the night Tonks stayed, she always went home to her flat. She loved her independant little studio apartment fiercely, and Remus had seen lots of muggle polaroids of the cluttered, cozy space.   
It was one such late night, Sirius, Molly, Tonks, and Remus had been gathered around the large kitchen table long into the night talking about what parts of the house to tackle next. Tonks yawned and stood to go, and Molly looked at the clock.   
“Why don’t you just spend the night here, dear?” Molly asked her. “It’s so late, you might as well.”   
Tonks smiled, but said, “Thank you Molly, but I’d have to stop by there before work in the morning anyway, I’ll save myself a trip and do it now.”  
Molly nodded, she hadn’t really expected her to say yes, and said, “Then be safe.”  
“Thanks Molly, and goodnight you two!” Tonks said to Sirius and Remus, before apparating home.   
Remus quietly crept past the portrait of Sirius’s mother, and walked tiredly upstairs to his room.   
...  
Remus couldn’t have been asleep for more than two or three hours, when the door to Grimmauld place banged open, and loud, tense voices woke the shrieking portrait of Mrs. Black. Remus sat bolt upright in his bed, and with a glance at his clock, threw off his covers and hastily tugged on a warmer pair of sweatpants. It was 4:00 in the morning, no one would be making such a fuss unless something was seriously wrong.   
He rushed downstairs, and was joined halfway to the kitchen by Sirius and the Weasleys. Four senior Order members were pacing the kitchen, and Alistair Moody sat next to someone who was sobbing quietly into the table. Sirius went to the Order members, and Remus headed for Moody. With a horrible sinking feeling, he realised the grey haired, soot covered witch at the table was Tonks. He rushed past the Weasleys to her, and sat down next to her on the kitchen bench. She looked up at him, and Remus felt his heart squeeze painfully.   
Her soot covered face was marked with tear stains, and her baggy pajamas were singed and smoky. Wordlessly, he opened his arms, and she collapsed into his chest, a fresh wave of sobbing following the motion. He held her against him, and stroked a hand through her off-color hair, making what he hoped was soothing noises to comfort her. Remus looked over the top of her head to Moody, whose false eye swirled to him, followed by his real eye.   
“The bastards struck just after she had gotten to sleep.” He said abruptly. “They sealed all the doors and windows and set her flat ablaze, burned the whole complex to the ground.   
Tonks sniffled loudly, obviously trying to stop crying. Remus tightened his arm around her, holding her more solidly against him, and resumed stroking her hair. Tonks’s arms wound around his waist, and she buried her face further into his sweater. He remembered the boggart earlier that week, it had turned to a wall of flame when it turned to her. She was afraid of fire. He pursed his lips, laboring to keep his sudden anger off of his face. Whoever had done this to her knew. This had been deliberate, and done by someone who knew her.   
He looked grimly at Moody, and the wizard nodded like he’d read Remus’s mind. The other Order members soon left, heading back to what was left of Tonk’s flat. A fresh wave of Tonk’s crying met their departure, and Remus stroked her back soothingly, talking softly into the top of her head, until she quieted again.   
...  
There was no more sleeping that night. Order members bustled in and out, some covered in ash and soot, others coming straight from their homes to Grimmauld Place. Remus moved Tonks to a bench closer to the fire place, and stayed out of the way of the bustle of the Order in action. He held Tonks while she dozed fitfully, doing his best to comfort her some. She hadn’t spoken to anyone but Moody since the grouchy wizard had dragged her out of her flat, but it was obvious that Remus’s efforts at soothing her weren’t in vain, he felt her gradually relax against him as his quiet words and comforting grip worked their intended magic, and at last, she slept. Late night turned to early morning, and by the time the sun cracked into the windows, the heavy comings and goings of the Order had quieted.   
Molly watched the sunrise wearily, her empty teacup on the table in front of her. “Well,” she said, without her usual morning cheeriness, “We’d best get her cleaned up and off to bed. I think that’s the best place for her, a little rest will work wonders.”  
Remus agreed, and gently woke her from her resting place on his chest. She scrunched her nose, and tried to bury her face back against him. Remus smiled in spite of himself, gently rearranged his arms and stood, carrying her to the doorway.   
“Lead the way, Molly.” he said quietly.  
Molly gave him a strange, appraising look, and led the two upstairs to the hall where Remus and other more permanent residents of Grimmauld place were intended to stay. It was, so far, only Remus and Sirius living in the hall, as Sirius wouldn’t sleep in his childhood room. It appeared Tonks was to be the next resident of the spacious house. Molly led Remus to a room they had recently cleaned, and opened the door. It was slightly bigger than Remus’s room, and had windows of all sizes punched into the wall that faced the derelict garden.  
Fully conscious now, Tonks blinked in the sunlight, and Remus set her gently on her feet. She looked around quietly, her arms crossed over her chest as if to keep herself warm and met Remus’s eyes. She was tired, and in shock from her ordeal still. Remus felt abruptly useless. He had no idea what to do to help. She must have seen it on his face, because she stepped back into his arms. “Thank you.” she said softly into his sweater. Remus wordlessly pulled her closer to him for a moment, before releasing her to follow Molly to the bathroom.   
Remus looked around the window filled room, appraising Tonk’s new residence. Molly had chosen her room well, it would fit her normally cheery self. Molly poked her head back into the room abruptly, startling Remus.  
“To bed with you as well!” she said. “You’ve had even less sleep than she has.” before disappearing to find Tonks some clothes.   
Remus smiled. Molly had been awake for just as long as he had, and obviously had no intention of finding her own bed anytime soon. But Remus followed her directions, and after a moment’s consideration, left his sweater folded on Tonks’s new bed for her return before heading to his own bed, and falling into an exhausted sleep.


	4. Tea and Quiet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quiet stalwart company, and the beginnings of something more.

Afternoon sun streaming into Remus’s eyes woke him, groggy and sprawled out on his bed in nearly the same position he’d landed in that morning. He had an awful taste in his mouth, and his stomach grumbled painfully. Wincing as he stood, he plodded out of his room, glancing at Tonks’s closed door and hoping she was getting some rest, before heading to the kitchen.   
A few minutes of rummaging through Molly's meticulously organized kitchen produced a cup of tea and a half hearted sandwich. He sat down by a window and tried to organize his sleep muddled brain. A few near scalding sips of tea drove the last of his yawns away, and he mulled over the last night. Tonks. She was a relatively low profile Auror, and a newer, low ranking Order member, who would target her? And why? What point would it prove to destroy her home? Remus unclenched his hand from his mug, he rarely felt true anger, but it coursed through him with the memory of her terrified grip on his sweater the night before. 

A noise at the kitchen door brought Remus’s attention away from his tumultuous thoughts. Tonks stood in the doorway, and Remus stood before he knew quite what he was doing. She was wearing a pair of pajama bottoms borrowed from the Weasleys, and his sweater. His sweater. The one he had left on her bed this morning. Heat crept up the back of his neck and onto his cheeks. He ruffled a hand through his hair nervously at the same time Tonks made to do the same thing.

She cracked a small smile, and Remus pulled his chair out the rest of the way, offering it to her and saying, “Would you like some tea? Your welcome to that sandwich there, but I can make you something better if you want.”

Tonk’s smile quirked up in one corner, and she crossed the kitchen to his seat by the window. “Normally I’d say not to worry and I could make my own tea, but I don’t know where anything is here yet.” Tonks said. 

“And normally I would let you get your own,” Remus replied amicably, “But as I have been here for roughly a month, I’m well versed in the intricacies of Molly’s insanely organized kitchen.”  
He turned to get her a mug and some water from the kettle, and she caught his sleeve, “Thank you.” she said, much more seriously than tea called for, and Remus found himself caught up in her green hazel eyes. His breath caught, and the distance between them, and the point on his sleeve where they connected rang through him with clarity. She still looked so fragile from her ordeal. Her hair was still greyish, and lacked its usual swirly quality, settling around her head and over her forehead in fluffy waves. 

Remus swallowed around the knot in his throat, and spoke gently, “Nymphadora,” he smiled at the way her nose scrunched at her full name, “You can always count on me when you need me. For anything.”

Her blush was just as deep as his, and Remus liked the way it spread over her cheeks, and the way her hair darkened two shades of pink while she held his gaze. 

“I’ll start that tea.” He said, and she bit her lip around her smile, before sitting at his spot and eyeing his sandwich hungrily. While she snacked, Remus set the kettle back to boil by hand rather than magic, glad to have something to do with his nervous energy. The atmosphere remained thick with emotion, and he could feel her watching him. He tried to go about putting tea in a strainer, but got more on the counter. He felt magic breeze past his hands, and the tea skittered meekly into the ball. He cast a raised eyebrow over his shoulder at Tonks, and plunked the strainer into her mug, gratified by a giggle from the witch behind him. The kettle broke the quiet, and Remus rushed to silence it before it woke the portrait in the hallway. Tonks accepted her mug gratefully, and passed him his when he sat down in the adjacent chair.   
Peace settled around the kitchen as the two enjoyed their tea, and one another's quiet, stalwart company.


	5. Unexpected Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus follows Molly to the market for a day out of the house, and sees Tonks at the Ministry. The plot thickens <3

Molly bustled around the markets, buying supplies for a dizzying array of things, from Grimmauld place’s medicine stores to it’s pantry, and Remus was more than happy to trail along, just to get out of the house. As spacious as Grimmauld Place was, it was still lovely to inhale air that didn’t smell of dust and disuse.

They apparated from shop to shop, stopping in Diagon Alley to visit a few apothecaries there as well. By the end of their excursion, Remus felt more like a pack mule than a person, but with one more stop to go, he didn’t mind.

The Ministry of Magic headquarters had not changed one iota from the last time Remus had seen it, and as he entered the building, trailing bags and boxes behind Molly, he couldn’t help scanning the crowd of wizards for a shock of pink hair. Disappointed, he followed Molly to Arthur’s office. The confusing layout of the Ministry didn’t phase Molly at all, she breezed by reception desk after reception desk with no more than little quips like, “Janet dear! How’s your husband?” and “Hullo Martin, didn’t think I’d catch you before your vacation!” Remus just kept close, keeping out of Molly’s way. That is, until he heard a bright, lilting voice in the hallway up ahead, and Tonks, bright hair made even starker by her dark Auror's robes, rounded the corner, talking seriously to another Auror. Her eyes caught on Remus, and her face broke into a delighted grin. She did a little hop, and her hair turned a brighter shade of its bubblegum pink.

Catching sight of Tonks in places he didn't expect her to be was almost better than seeing her at Grimmauld Place. Remus's stomach did a flip. 

“Remus!” She said, delight brightening her voice. 

She hustled over to him and Molly, and threw her arms around Remus. He hugged her back, a bit belatedly, and when Tonks stepped back, her cheeks matched her hair. She seemed to realize her enthusiastic greeting was a little too enthusiastic, and put her arms around Molly, which just highlighted the difference in her hugs. Remus was already holding back laughter.  
Tonks introduced her Auror friend, Samuel, who left soon after, and she escorted them to Arthur’s office.   
Molly found an excuse to take all of the day’s shopping bags from Remus, and seemed to take up more than half the hallway with her bags. Remus had a sneaking suspicion Molly wanted he and Tonks closer together. Tonks’s hand idly brushed his as she strode next to him, and Remus silently swore to love Molly forever. He looked over at Tonks, and caught her studying him. He raised an eyebrow at her, she stuck out her tongue in reply. 

By the time they finally reached Arthur’s office, the corners of Remus’s mouth hurt from smiling. Remus tried to hide his slight indignation when Molly whirled into the office, and pointedly closed, and locked the door in Remus’s face. He turned to Tonks, and his shock must have been all over his face, because she giggled at him and leaned one shoulder against the wall, motioning him closer.

“It’s not like that,” Tonks said in a hushed voice. “That’s how the two of them exchange important information to each other if something happens while Arthurs at work.’’ 

“That seems a bit dramatic.” Remus said, mirroring Tonks’s almost mockingly nonchalant pose against the wall and folding his arms over his chest.   
Tonks bit her lip over her smile, and sidled closer to him. “I think Molly likes the espionage romance-y aspect of it.” 

Remus grinned at her, and slid closer to her exactly the same distance she had moved towards him. Mirth danced in Tonk’s eyes as she stepped a bit closer to him. He mirrored her, closing the distance between them until they were standing nearly nose to nose. Remus had no idea what he was doing, why he was being so… reckless. Maybe it was the hint of challenge in her eyes as their breath mingled. Her head was tilted back to look him in the eyes, he made the mistake of glancing at her lips, and the urge to kiss her swept through him so strongly he thought his knees would buckle. She laid a hand on his arm, her eyes were half lidded, her gaze almost… sultry. And just as the realization that Tonks wanted him to kiss her struck him stupid, there was the sound of Arthur’s office door unlocking, and Molly’s cheerful voice behind it.

Remus spun from Tonks before the door opened, the tension of the moment dissipating before Molly’s head peaked out the door. 

“Remus, we can use Arthur’s fireplace to floo powder back home, it’ll be easier than apparating after such a day of it.” 

Remus smiled at Molly and turned to Tonks. “When will you be home, Nymphadora?” 

She startled at her full name, but didn’t scrunch her nose in distaste for it as usual. Instead, a blush crept over her cheeks, and she smiled up at him. 

“Five, if I don’t get any last minute snags.” she said, brushing her hand against his on her way by him and heading back down the hallway she’d led them down. 

Remus smiled softly, and followed Molly into Arthur’s cramped office.


	6. Office Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly lays her cards on the table.

Remus stepped in to the clutter of Arthur’s office, his head still spinning from thoughts of Tonks’s lips. He took a deep breath to calm himself, and turned to Molly. 

She was rummaging through Arthur’s desk for the floo powder charmed to allow entrance against the magical shields around Grimmauld Place. She looked up at him from across the desk, floo powder bag in hand, and said, “She’s lucky to have you, Remus.”

“We aren’t… like that. She deserves someone better.”

“That’s a foolish thought.” Molly shot back at him. “You love that girl, Remus. And she loves you. Your Lycanthropy wouldn’t bother her, Remus. The girls a metamorphmagus, she might even understand a bit of what you go through, changing her shape too much tires her and her magic, just like shifting does to you.”

Remus winced, and Molly continued, “She’s campained and pushed for reform on the way werewolves are handled by Aurors since she passed her exams two years ago. There is absolutely no reason to believe she would turn away from you because of your lycanthropy.”

She turned abruptly, floo powder in hand, and led him to the fire place, leaving him in silence to mull over her words. 

Remus accompanied Molly back to Grimmauld Place quietly. He stared ahead at nothing and tried to reconcile his warring head and heart. His head repeated over and over that he was a danger, that he should stay away for her safety. Because he was a werewolf. And he had drilled into his own mind time and time again to eschew closeness, because of what he was. But his heart whispered a foolish hope to him, that James, and Sirius, and even Peter, and later Lily had not cared, had not blamed him for his own lycanthropy. Perhaps Tonks wouldn’t either.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm SO sorry it's taken me so long to update this, college is terrible, so here's a long chapter <3

Chapter 7  
Three weeks after Tonks’ apartment had been burnt, The Order’s investigation was grasping at straws trying to unravel what had happened. Tonks watched it all from a quiet, detached perspective, and tried not to think about her apartment. Her books, muggle music records, and her plants… oh, all of her plants. Her apartment had been strewn with them, growing from coffee cups repurposed into planters and draped from high bookshelves to adorn the shoulders of her old wingback chairs… her eyes misted over, and she hunched down a little more into her chair at the Order meeting.   
Remus, seated beside her as usual, noticed her sudden shift, and brushed his knee against hers under the table, further regrounding her to her surroundings. She met his eyes gratefully, and his eyes crinkled around their corners, making her bite her lip to keep from smiling. The Order meeting faded fuzzily into the background as she watched his eyes flick to her bottom lip, and then jerk back to her gaze almost guiltily.  
Molly, seated across the table from her, gave a delicate, pointed cough, and the Order meeting slammed back to Tonk’s attention. Everyone was staring at her, some, with eyebrows raised at Remus. With growing horror, Tonks realized they were waiting on her to say something.   
She cleared her throat, and shifted back upright in her chair, before asking, meekly, “I’m sorry, what was that?” to the assembled Order.   
She cast her eyes around the table for her questioner, and found Mad-Eye staring at her, for once with both eyes fully intent on her. She swallowed nervously.  
“I was saying, Nymphadora,” She winced at her full name, “We’ve reached a dead end with your apartment, we can’t find traces of anyone, Death Eater or otherwise magical, setting the blaze. I’m sorry Tonks, but while all of this unfolds, it’s going to have to take a backseat to other, more evidenced Death Eater’s crimes.”  
Tonks said, in a very small voice, “Oh.”  
She could feel Remus close behind her, she wondered what the look on his face was. She sat back in her seat, and stared at the tabletop for the rest of the meeting, trying her best not to think of anything at all.  
…  
The meeting drew to a close not long after Mad-Eye broke the news to Tonks about her apartment’s investigation. Remus was still seated beside her as people began to make their farewells and leave. Tonks still didn’t feel like saying anything much at all, to anyone, so she sat quietly, and let Remus kindly deflect well wishers and Aurors who wanted to talk with her.   
Grimmauld place grew emptier and emptier, until only a handful of members were left, talking in corners and small groups with one another. Even Sirius had gone up to bed. Tonks stifled a yawn, and turned to Remus to tell him they should probably follow Sirius, and met his gaze. He looked like he’d been waiting for her to look up. She felt herself blush.  
“I need to talk to you,” Remus told her.  
“I’m right here.” Tonks said, and sidled closer to him.   
Remus’s mouth quirked up at one corner, but quickly smoothed.   
“This is important,” Remus said, and Tonk’s heart sped up just a bit. “Somewhere priva-”   
Just as Remus was about to finish the word ‘private’, Severus Snape slid onto the bench next to Remus, an unpleasant smile on his sallow face. Remus stiffened next to Tonks, and the color had drained from his face, but Snape was already talking.   
“As I warned you last month, Remus, my supplies of the main ingredient are hazardously low. I’m afraid I barely had any left for this month’s batch.” Snape said handing Remus a small bottle of watery, white liquid. “It will stop your shift, but I can’t promise it will be pleasant.”  
Remus stared at Snape, and several things snapped into place simultaneously for Tonks.   
When they faced the boggart in the drawing room, it had turned into a huge white orb for Remus. The moon.   
Tonks took another look at the potion Snape had set before Remus. Wolfsbane potion, the only known potion to keep a werewolf human during a full moon.   
But this one was watery, wolfsbane potion was flat white, she remembered from Auror training, not the half hearted color she’d seen Snape’s potion. There must have been barely enough wolfsbane in the potion to stop the shift. Anger rose through her, sharp and quick, and she leaned around Remus to get a better angle at Snape.   
“It’s a poor potions professor indeed who can barely manage to produce a wolfsbane potion, Snape.” Tonks said icily.   
Snape just fixed Remus with a derisive stare and said, “Be sure to close your curtains.” and leaving.  
Remus watched him go, until Tonks’s hand on his brought his attention fully onto the mess Snape had just caused. He was going to tell her, he had been just about to ask to see her alone, so he could try and explain… But Snape had just exposed him, had taken all of his options, and on top of that, the wolfsbane potion he relied on Snape for looked as if it was barely strong enough to stop the shift, which was tonight. He had felt the coming full moon throbbing in his joints all day. He couldn’t talk to Tonks like this. Not with all the things he had to tell her.   
Her hand was still on top of his, and he looked down at it as he spoke. “Nymphadora,” she did not flinch at her full name, “I was going to tell you. It was was I wanted to talk to you about.”  
“It’s ok.” Tonks said. “I had my suspicions.”   
He met her eyes then. They were beautiful and honey brown, and she was smiling at him, mischief lurking in the corners of her smile.   
“There is something else I wanted to talk to you about.” Remus said. “But it has to wait, at least until tomorrow. Right now, I need to take that potion and pray Snape put enough wolfsbane in it to keep me…” He trailed off before he could say ‘human’. Tonks had a peculiar look on her face.   
She met his gaze again and said, “Let me help.”  
Before he could say no, she told him her idea. Tonks had been awful at potions, the exact measurements and directions had always gotten muddled in her mind, and she usually ended up with a singed nose. But she had discovered in her 5th year at Hogwarts that magical teas were much easier, and with a shot of real magic, the teas she brewed could be useful. Colds disappeared with a sip of her lemon tea, sore throats couldn’t hold a candle to some ginger root. She hoped the same could be said for lycanthropy, if she made something with wolfsbane in it. And she had a hunch she knew where to find some.   
So Remus downed the Snapes potion, because he felt the effects of the moon sharpening with every inch it rose in the sky, and agreed to let Tonks try and make him wolfsbane tea. 

 

 

 

 

 

The library was dark and cavernous, and Tonk’s sock feet made almost no noise as she scoured shelf after shelf of books by wand light, searching for one she had noted as interesting when she’d been cleaning here. Barely five minutes passed before she found it, sitting demurely on a shelf at her eye level. It’s purple binding read ‘Magical Teas for Magical Ailments’ in curling gold letters. She pulled it from the shelf, flipping through the pages of arcane, and probably horrid tasting teas, until she found what she was looking for. The recipe for wolfsbane tea called for several other herbs, probably to mask the taste of the wolfsbane, and Tonks smiled to herself. She could find most of what she needed in the kitchen, but the wolfsbane would take some luck. She shut the book, dust swirling around her as she paced out of the library.   
Hardest thing first, Tonks decided, and crept up to her room for her shoes before slipping out into the gardens Molly had been determinately working at for weeks. She paced past rosebushes and other vines and regular garden plants until she came across the small tract that held the herbs the Black family servants grew to use. It was still untouched by Molly, and it’s once neat rows were messy and overgrown. But most of the herbs that were planted years ago still grew, and Tonks crept along the outside, lighting her wand and carefully scanning for the purple flowers that marked wolfsbane. It had been a careful guess, Tonks knew that wolfsbane had been planted in older gardens to keep bugs and other things from eating the other herbs, and had hoped that the Black family servants had used the same technique. Near the far corner, nearly covered by the drooping boughs of some other plant, they sprouted. Tonks smiled to herself, and collected two whole plants, one to brew now, and one to dry for later, before slipping quietly back into Grimmauld place to start her tea.   
The kitchen was mercifully empty when she returned, brushing the dirt and other things off the stalk of purple flowers she’d decided to use. Tonks set it aside and started snooping through the spice pantry, uncapping jars and sniffing their contents, putting some aside and shoving others back into the pantry. She gathered her ingredients and set some water to boil.  
…  
Remus had barely made it up the stairs to his room. His joints were already so stiff it had been an ordeal to slide on a pair of pajama pants and a loose shirt. He hadn’t been so close to a shift in months, and he didn’t appreciate his proximity now. His bones and joints ached and throbbed in tandem to his elevated heartbeat, and his breaths dragged in through an aching chest. He hadn’t had the concentration for magic, so he had done his best to close his curtains and block the moonlight from his window. Moonlight still slipped through the cracks, setting his skin crawling and his vision murky. He fell more than slid into bed, and curled up, waiting for dawn to arrive and chase away the miserable night.  
…  
The tea took 15 minutes for Tonks to make, which was far too long for her. She kept a watchful eye on the window, watching the fast moving clouds cover and uncover the brilliant moon, and hoped Remus had shut his curtains all the way.   
The whistle of the kettle had her in motion, and she swept a mug and the kettle into careful arms, and headed towards Remus’s room.   
She knocked once, twice, and when there was no answer, she squared her shoulders and stepped inside Remus’s room. It was dark, he hadn’t bothered to set a fire in his fireplace, and moonlight pierced into the room from cracks in his curtains. Her heart squeezed, and she wanted to strangle Severus for putting him through this. He lay on his bed, and Tonks had been an Auror long enough to know a pain wracked body when she saw one. Remus made a chillingly lupine noise when he saw her, and she crossed his room slowly, setting her tea on the worn bedside table. She flicked her wand towards the window, a muttered spell sealing out any light from the window, and Remus sagged against his pillow, drawing in a shuddering breath. While he caught his breath, Tonks turned to the fireplace, arranging a few logs and setting them ablaze, casting warm light into his dim room.  
“Thank you.” His voice was lower, more ragged, than she was used to hearing it, and she tried to hide her jump, not wanting him to think she was afraid of him. She crossed the room again, and poured him a large mug of her tea, not answering him.   
“Tea’s ready.” she said instead, and handed the mug to him. He took it, hands trembling slightly, and moving as if his joints were unbearably stiff, and breathed in the steam curling around him gratefully. Tonks made a silent note to add nettles to her next batch, for his pain, and settled into the chair closest to his bed.   
Before he could take a sip, she said, “I want you to know, Remus, that knowing about your lycanthropy doesn’t change... anything.”   
And suddenly, that line he’d been toeing for days loomed before him. He took a sip of the tea, grimacing slightly at its bitter taste, and she noted that the wrinkle between his brows eased some, as had the set of his shoulders. “That’s exactly why you need to leave, Nymphadora.” he said quietly, staring into his mug before taking another sip.   
“What?” she said, that was not what she had expected to hear.   
“This is my reminder.” Remus said, gesturing to the now sealed window, “I am a monster. Whether or not I asked to be does not change this fact. I am a danger, to everyone here, including you.”  
“That’s not true, Remus!” she said, the denial bursting out of her before she could let him finish. “You are not a monster. You are a man, and a damn good one. It doesn’t matter that you’re a werewolf-”  
“Yes it does, Nymphadora! The entire wizarding world has done it’s best to stamp us out for the evil monsters werewolves are. It doesn’t matter that I’m a man most of the time, those two nights a month have damned me, and will damn me forever.”   
The tea had helped, and he ran his hand through his hair, his inhale shuddering for an entirely different reason.   
“You need to go.” he said, quieter than he had been. “Thank you for the tea, but you should go, we’ll talk in the morning when I’m… human again.”  
She stood, but instead of leaving, she gently took the mug from him, and refilled it, before pressing it back into his now steady hands.   
She brushed a long strand of his hair out of his eyes, and said, “You are human right now, Remus. And those two nights a month don’t damn you. Not to me.”  
She sat on the edge of his bed, near his hip, and took his free hand in hers. “I made you that tea because I care deeply for you, Remus. I couldn’t stand the thought of you in pain because Severus couldn’t be bothered to visit the greenhouses at Hogwarts for one of the easiest magic herbs there is to grow.”   
She ran a thumb down his scarred knuckles, and without thinking, Remus did it back. Her serious face lifted into a half smile, and her eyes met his. The intensity in her gaze, her hand holding his. This shouldn’t be happening, Remus thought. The tea cup tremored in his other hand.  
Tonks studied his hand, and spoke, almost reverently, “Ever since the first Order meeting, where I tripped into you,” Remus smiled at the memory despite himself, “I haven’t been able to get you out of my head.”  
Remus’s breath caught.  
She stared at his palm, resting in hers, “I’m in love with you, Remus. Lycanthropy won’t change that.”  
“You deserve someone better.” His age old excuse lept from Remus’s mouth, and he pretended his heart wasn’t thundering in his ears. “Someone less poor. Someone younger. Someone with a future other than the moon’s cycle.”   
His head was spinning, and it wasn’t the moon causing it. Tonks sat on his bed, her weight against his hip, holding his hand in hers. He hated the lingering stiffness he had, the fogginess of his vision, the way it was difficult to think. He needed to make her understand.   
“My feelings don’t matter.’’ He said. “No matter how much I care about you, no matter how much I love you, Nymphadora, I will never be able to give you what you deserve.”   
He had gripped her hand in his while he spoke, and found it hard to make himself let her go. He loved her. So much it felt like a living thing inside his chest. He had run from it and refused to see it but here the truth was. He couldn’t make himself not love her, no matter how much he told himself it was for the best.  
“I don’t care what I deserve Remus. I want you. I am in love with you. No matter what you say, no matter how much you say I shouldn’t, I love you. And I’ll still love you. I don’t care if it won’t be easy. A future with you is worth whatever struggles it will take to get there.”  
Remus let her quiet, determined words hit him, sink into him. Their honesty and sincerity, and their meaning. He ached for this. For her. For the tentative future she had alluded to. He couldn’t tell her no. He knew he should, he should send her to her own room and wake up sore and stiff in the morning and pretend like this hadn’t happened. Like she hadn’t jerked the world out from under him with nothing more than her words. He looked at her, at her swirly pink hair, upturned pixy nose, at his sweater she was wearing, at the flicker in her warm eyes. He gave her one last chance to leave him, one last shot to walk out of his room and pretend she’d never said anything at all.   
“You’re sure?” he asked.  
Instead of answering him, Tonks leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. He dropped his mug of tea right on the carpet and slid his hand through her silky hair, pulling her closer to him. Her hands were on his jaw, running through his hair, trailing down his neck, as if she couldn’t stop herself from trying to touch all of him at once. He deepened their kiss, her weight settling across his chest, his other hand on her waist, trailing up her back. The first swipe of her tongue sent him over some unknown edge, and a snarly noise grumbled from him, sending her nails scraping down his collarbone. He was undone. She had unraveled him. And when she pulled away, her hair a swirly mess, her breath quicker than it should have been, he saw he’d done the same to her. The thought sent him crashing back into her.


End file.
